E cigarettes to require a medicine licence under MHRA ruling

Tobacco multinationals stand to profit from having their electronic cigarettes prescribed on the NHS.

The medicines regulator yesterday ruled that all non-tobacco products containing nicotine must obtain a medical licence by 2016 to be sold legally in Britain.

Despite its concerns about the safety of e-cigarettes, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which advises the Government, stopped short of an immediate ban.

Health guidelines outlined last week to medical professionals said that licensed products containing nicotine should be recommended to smokers even if they are not planning to quit.

British American Tobacco, the world’s second-largest tobacco company, is the only known large group in the sector to be seeking a medical licence for its device in Britain, although analysts expect other tobacco groups to